Improvement in aquatic toys



i etait-rd sastre @strut @Mitre AHOS W. I-IAR'I, Oli" W.\SIIINGTON,,DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNO'R TO HIMSELF AND WILLIAM M. TILESTON, OF SAME PLAOF.

' Letters Patent L lo. 109,992, dated December 6, 1870.'

IMPROVEMENT IN AQUATIC TOYS.

` The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the sante.

ence heilig had to the accompanying drawing,'Sheets Figure 1 represents a side-view .of a toy duck, with part broken away to s ho \v the propelling inech 'amsm Figure 2 is a plan View; and

Figure 3, a sectional elevation ot' the salue, sho\vA ing the arrangement ot' mechanism when the windingpost is vertical.

Figure 4 ism'.

Figures 5 a'nd 6 exhibit the means ot' keeping ont they water vs hcre the legs pass through the shell.

Figures 7, 8, andi) show forms of feet tobe pivoted to the legs.

Figure-10 is a sectional elevation o`t` apropelling and quacking mechanism combined.

Figure 1l represents the quaekingand propelling mechanism arranged to be operated by the same motor or spring; also, the shell or 'bodyot' the toy cut out on the under side.

Figure 12 is Aa sectional elevation o't the same, arranged with the winding-post vertical and Figure 13 is a plan view of the. under s ideot' the 'to \',with the shell cut out, as in figs. 11 and 12.

The object of luy-invention is to furnish the publie, more especially the juvenile portion thereof, wi'th a novel toy, in the form of au aquatic bird, which shall be adapted to propel itself automatically through the water in a wholly natural manner, and at a more or less rapid rate, and in a straight cours-c or in circles ot' greater or lesser diameter. ihe toy is also adapted to emit a' series of sounds resembling the quack or other-.peculiar cry of ,the natural or livingbird.

'Ihe invention consists in a shell or hollow body, ot' any suitable material, in form of a duck or some other aquatic bird, provided with a. propelling mechanism' for imparting the alternate vibratory movement to the legs and feet necessary to cause them to similate, as

near as practicable, the motion o t the correspomling parts ot' the living` uuimah'aml'in 'combining wit-h the propelling apparalusa mechanism for producing the quacks or other sounds, the 'operative devices being constructed and arranged substantially as hereinafter described.

l1`he arrangeuwnt of geariugis such that the soumis may be produced during the whole or a part only oi' theiinlc in which the propelling mechanism is in operation, er previous or subsequent thereto, as desired.

shows a grinding or steering mechan- 'Ihe invention also consists in cert-ain other featuresniainly details of construction and arrangement ot' parts-as hereinafter fully described.

Y I construct the s hell or body ofthe toy of any suit.- able material, preferably, however, of sheet metal, which may be readily struck up into the propel' form.

IA provide a train of wheels, A B, for rotating the crank-shaft, operatedby spring vpower, through the medium ot' apinioufwhicli is fast thereon.

The shaft a, in figs. l, 2, 3, 1 1, and 10, is shown connected with the upper ends of the legsb b by rods c c.

The legs are showninsaid figures as pivoted a short distance apart, at or near thezpoint of insertion through the holes in the' bottom of the toy.

Thus arranged, thel legs have a vibratory movement, f and-necessarily require the feet to be hinged'or pivoted. v

In figs. 1l and 12, ,the legs c c are shown slotted at their upper ends, to work on .studs d d, and opnnected directly with the crankshaft a; or, when the windingpost is vertical, Vas Ain fig. 12, the connection between the crank-shaft'aml legs is made also by the rods e c.

Thus arranged, the legs have, when operated, a combined circular and vibratory movement.

'I construct the. feetof-sbeet nieta-l or any other suitable material, and give them-any preferred form to adapt them to their. oliee. vThey maybe 'corru gated, with a scalloped edge, as in figs. 1- and 1Q; plain, as in tig. S); o'fsh'ovel form, as'in tig. 8; or made ot wire, looped, and 'bent into proper form, and having thin sheet metal oi; other material to constitute the web, as in tig. 8. In each ease they have a. shank extending above the pivotal point Io exclude the water, and still allow the legs ti'ee movement, I form or attach au upward or downwardprojecting iangc, e, on the shell around the holes through'which the legs 11.1) pass, and, by a wire or' cord,

contine one end of a rubber tubey tightly around the flange c, and its other endaround the le".

When the winding-post i is horizontal, as in figs. 1y 2, 1(),`and 11, the winding-hey will be applied through an orilice in the side of the toy. I'The post may, in that case, be provided with a stalling-box oran equiva'- lent device, to`exclude the air when necessary.`

When the winding-post i is vertical, as in 3, '11, 12, and 13, the key is applied at the lower end.

These respective positions of the whirling-post necessitate correspoinling changes in the arrangement ot gears and crank-shaft, oi' shafts from the vertical to the horizontal plane., and 'rice versa.'

- The' details of arrangement in each case are fully illustrated in the drawing.

ofthe toy is made air-tight in its whole upperportion,

vand the air confined in the cavity t'orms the support the notes of the living bird, I arrange a compressible air-reservoir, k, in any convenient position in the front p'art of the cavity or chamber ofthe toy, and connect therewith a tube, l, open at cach end, which communicates with the external atmosphere atany convenient point, preferably in the bill-m.

The upper endof this tube is provided with a reed, which is secured in or to the end of the tube, and is free at its outer end, so'that when air is forced out through the tube the reed will be vihrated.

. It may be necessary to give a Hare or fmmel shape to the reed end ot' the tube, and also to slit the same .a short distance-on each side of the reed.. f

lf the toy he made to represent any other form ot" aquatic bird,l a. suitable deviee'may be substituted for the reed to produce the` required sounds.

When the bottom of the toy is cut ont,.the airreser'voir or bellows may be arranged in contact with the shell, as in igsull and 12, so that air may enter the same through a valved aperture, n.

I have arranged tl1e` bellows L to be operated by a rod from a crank-shaft, o, which hzs a fast pinion, p, meshing with an intermediate spn. gear, g.

The quacking attachment may he. operated hy placing this gear in .direct communication with the propellingtrain of wheels A 13, as in figs. 1L and 12, so that the toy shall both propel itself and quack during the time the'power ot' thespring is sutiicieut; orthe gear q maybe arranged to mesh with a larger spurgear, r, as in tig. 10, which has a spring-and-ratchet attachment similar to the propelling apparatl'is A B.

The two trains may be allowed to operate separately; but- I prefer the gear r, so as to' lock the same by engaging with its teeth, and extend the other arm ofthe same into such proximity with the spring ot' the train A that, when said spring has expanded to a certain extent, the lever will be disengaged by the upward pressure ot the spring and the quacking mechanism released. A

An equivalent arrangement of a double or jointed lever is shown in dotted lines, tig. 10.

I 'esteem the vertical metal plate t, figs. 1, 10, and 11, the best and iimpiest devcerfor steering the toy. This plate isformed, preferably, ot sheet metal, and is secured, by solder or other means, to the front part of the under aide of the toy, and extends backward. The free end thus formed may bebent or curved lat?. emily, to cause the toy to describe circles-tile more acute being the angle or curve, the smalleiatbe circle, and 'rice versa.

When the legs are made ot' wood in place of wire or sheet metal, the feet may be hinged to a tapered shank, u, as in iig. 9, which bold by friction in a socket of 'corresponding forTn vin the end ot' a leg, b. This construction permits` the foot to be set at any desired angle to the body of the toy, and thus the `same will bc propelled, accordingly, in a circle or a straight linc.

I iig. 4 I have shown a sort of oscillating rudder, vr, whose arm w is connected with the crank-shaft a by a rod, Thearrangenxent issnch that the rudder will be turned at cach revolution ot' the shaft a toward the leg, which is making the backward or propelling stroke, thus preventing such stroke throwing the toy out oi' the direct or other line it is desired it should take.

For convenience in placing`- or securing the propelling or quaeking mechanism in the shell, the latter may be struck up or made in thrce part-s, the lower 'part or half being in one and the upper in two-pieces,

as indicated by the respect-ive lines y in iigs.' 1 and 2.

I do notrestrict myself to the precise arrangement ot' means shown for operating t-he legs or the ,quacking attachment, as the trains ot' wheels may be arranged in many other ways and yet similar results be obtained. Nor do I restrict'myself to the precise means shown for disengaging the quacking apparatus, since the ordinary skill ofthe mechanic is sutiicient to devise other analogous ones.

Having thus described my invention,

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with a toy representing an aquatic bird, ot' a steering or guiding-plate, t, attached thereto at its front end, substantially as shown andA described;

' 2. The combiuat-ion,in a toy representing an aquatic bird, of the legs b b, crank-shaft a, and train of wheels A B, substantially as shown and described, and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination, in a toy representing an aquatic bird, 0f the legs b b and train of wheels A B'with the train q p, crank-shaft o, and compressible air-reservoir k, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. .lhe cinnbination, in a toy representing an aquatic bird, of a rubber tube, or other membrane impervious to water, with the flange c and leg b, substantially as and for the purpose specified. 1`.

AMOS W'. HART.

Witnesses: .p

T. J. W. Ronn'rsox, Taos. D. D. DURAND. 

